Category: News

Human Settlements Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has called on public servants and representatives – together with the relevant institutions – to work around the clock to fast track the processing and issuing of title deeds to the rightful beneficiaries.

Kubayi made the call at the handing over of title deeds at Mabopane Sports Complex in Tshwane on Friday.

The event formed part of the launch of Title Deeds Friday campaign aimed at mobilising beneficiaries of government-subsidised homes — Breaking New Ground (BNG) — to collect their title deeds at municipal offices.

Kubayi, who was accompanied by Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete; Tshwane Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, Ofentse Madzabatela, and local councillors handed over title deeds to some community members of Mabopane, Winterveld and Ga-Rankuwa (MAWIGA), north of Tshwane.

The community members of MAWIGA have been advocating to be recognised as the rightful owners of houses located around Ga-Rankuwa, Mabopane, Kudube and Winterveldt.

The Minister declared MAWIGA a Ministerial Project and established a committee with the community to resolve the ownership and transfer for 8 000 uncontested properties held by the City of Tshwane.

The over 14 000 properties, including contested ones, date back to pre-1994.

During the event, Kubayi provided feedback to the community on the roll-out status. She said a phased approach has been adopted to avoid keeping communities waiting due to red tape and intergovernmental disputes.

Kubayi said government has declared war on the title deeds backlog, particularly as President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the need to get rid of red tape within the State.

“We are deliberately launching this campaign here in MAWIGA to re-emphasise our message that as a government, we have heard the cries of this community and others, who are yet to receive their title deeds. Every parent deserves to know that his or her children have a place to call home.

“These title deeds are legal documents that assure you these properties are yours. Today, you can be at peace that the houses you have lived in and raised your families in over the years are yours and are valuable assets to hand over to future generations,” Kubayi said.

She said the handing over of title deeds is also a testament that “when government partners with community members, nothing is impossible to achieve”.

The MAWIGA Ministerial Project was declared in 2022, with a committee established and tasked with the responsibility of facilitating the transfer of uncontested properties to the rightful owners.

Kubayi said government is using MAWIGA to showcase the importance of working together with the community to resolve their challenges.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Moota Mfulwane, said they are happy that finally, working together with government, they made some breakthroughs.

“Although some of those who were also waiting for this day have since unfortunately passed on, we are hoping as a community that the targeted handover of 14 000 title deeds will be realised,” Mfulwane said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has undertaken to convene an urgent meeting with municipalities to unlock existing bottlenecks.

Kubayi said interventions are required, working with all three spheres of government, including the urgent establishment of townships to pave the way for the registration of title deeds.

The Minster made a call to all councillors to champion the Title Deeds Friday campaign by working with municipal officials to issue all title deeds on hand.

As part of interventions to resolve water challenges, the eThekwini Municipality has started the drilling of boreholes in several wards, particularly in the rural parts of the city.

This follows the recent launch of the borehole project that will see 20 boreholes drilled in areas affected by irregular supply of water.

Launched by eThekwini Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, the project will ensure that residents have access to clean, safe water as an interim measure, while longer term solutions are sought.

“In areas where there is inadequate water infrastructure, the municipality has reprioritised funding for the drilling of boreholes. We are pleased to report that teams have already started drilling boreholes,” Kaunda said.

Kaunda said the wards where the projects have started include Ward 3 in Umzinyathi, Ward 105 in Mfume, Ward 59 in oGunjini, and Ward 108 in the eNyoni and Mkhumbane areas.

Giving an update on the restoration of water supply in uMhlanga, Durban North and surrounding areas, Kaunda said as a proactive and preventative measure, the municipal teams will be installing pressure gauges at strategic points on the bulk aqueduct pipeline.

“They will link this up with our telemetry system where we monitor the reservoir levels. We have also approached the South African Police Service to speed up the investigation on the criminal case of sabotage the municipality has opened,” Kaunda said.

The Mayor also reported that the sanitation technical teams continue to work around the clock to ensure all beaches are open during the festive season and beyond.

Kaunda said there is a collaborative effort between the scientific services and the mechanical and wastewater network departments to clearly identify the sources for any identified coastal pollution.

“It is important for the public to know that the pollution of beaches is caused by a combination of factors including pump failure, load shedding, vandalism or poor network infrastructure.

“Therefore, the streamlining of our processes has resulted in us being able to prioritise and track non-functioning infrastructure on a daily basis to ensure repairs are effected promptly,” Kaunda said.

Eskom announced on Wednesday that the municipal electricity debt in Gauteng continues to increase rapidly.

This as the City of Tshwane and City of Ekurhuleni jointly owe Eskom R4.7 billion as of 31 August 2023.

Tshwane has accumulated a debt of about R3.2 billion over July and August 2023 due to erratic payments, while Ekurhuleni’s debt is presently just under R1.5 billion, the state-owned power utility said.

“The payment patterns by both municipalities have deteriorated to concerning levels that further threaten Eskom’s liquidity, financial performance, and sustainability.

“The erratic payments by the City of Tshwane dating back to 2022 are alarming. Also of serious concern is the entrenched practice by the City of Ekurhuleni of settling its account late over the past six months,” said Eskom in a statement.

Despite all the avenues explored to recover the money, Eskom said both municipalities have failed to fully honour their payments and to comply with their electricity supply agreements.

The police in Gauteng continue to make inroads in dealing with counterfeit goods and contraband.

On Wednesday, the police consisting of various units including Public Order Policing, Commercial Crime, Crime Intelligence, Crime Prevention in partnership with other law enforcement agencies such as Gauteng Traffic Police, Tshwane Metro Police Department, Wardens, Brand Protectors and Customs (SARS) conducted a search and seizure operation at Marabastad, in Pretoria, with the aim of addressing peddling and dealing of counterfeit and contraband goods.

Over the years, Marabastad has been a business district with a lot of consumers coming to buy clothing items and other goods however, a number of businesses allegedly owned by foreign nationals, are running illegal businesses of selling counterfeit goods.

To address this, the team seized clothing items and other goods with notable brands from both local and international to an estimated street value of about R13.7 million.

Three people were arrested for contravening the Immigration Act.

It is a criminal offence for a business to seek profit or use someone’s trademark without permission and the counterfeit goods Act 37 of 1997 prohibits such sales as this has a negative impact on the economy of the country.

“The police in Gauteng will continue unabated with these kind of operations to disrupt the counterfeit goods market,” the South African Police Service said in a statement.

The community is urged not to buy counterfeit goods and to report any criminal activities to their nearest police station or by calling Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Anonymous tip-offs can be directed to MySAPS App. Tipsters may opt to remain anonymous.

Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has mobilised extra resources to crackdown on robberies on the Mabopane highway following a blockade of the road on Tuesday by community members.

Residents had raised concerns about the high incidence of crime on that stretch of the road.

On Wednesday, a team from the Organised Crime Unit conducted an operation in the area with the aim of targeting the alleged robbers.

One of the members stopped next to the road under the pretense of relieving himself while the others were doing surveillance. As he walked towards the trees, two men emerged from the tunnel that runs under the R80 with firearms pointing at the member. The members on surveillance swiftly reacted and pounced on the suspects.

The suspects had a backpack with two jackets and two different hats suspected to be used as a change clothes after robberies. The firearms were also established to be toy guns.

A preliminary investigation led the members to an address where they found a woman who confirmed that she bought the cellphone from one of the suspects and she pointed the police to another woman who also allegedly bought a cellphone from the same suspect.

The two women were arrested for possession of suspected stolen property

Lt Gen Mawela applauded the members for their swift response and assured the public that the police will continue to deal decisively with crime in the province.

The suspects are expected to appear before court soon and police investigations continue.

The public has been encouraged to be vigilant when using that road and not to stop next to the freeway but rather drive to the nearest filling station.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has noted the unfortunate incident of a steel footbridge that collapsed between Jeppestown and George Goch stations on the Germiston to Johannesburg line.

Two pedestrians were reported to be injured and taken to a nearby hospital on Wednesday.

“PRASA deployed its technical team and activated the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) as soon as the incident happened. Regrettably, a team of PRASA Engineers and senior management are currently on site to assess the extent of the damage. An investigation to what led to the collapse of the footbridge will be established,” the agency said.

PRASA had recently recovered the line and running test trains when the bridge collapsed. The Germiston to Johannesburg line is part of the 16 corridors prioritized for rebuilding and recovery in this financial year.

“We would like to commend the swift responses from our security team, JMPD and Emergency Services,” PRASA said.

The roll out of the investment of R500 million pledged by SA Taxi at the fifth South African Investment Conference hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg in April this year is gaining momentum and has already created more than 3 000 jobs.

The investment was announced as one of the pledges worth billions of rands that contributed to bringing the total value of investment pledges over a five-year investment mobilisation period to R1.51 trillion, thereby exceeding the initial target of R1.2 trillion set by President Ramaphosa.

Chief Government and Industry Officer at SA Taxi Holdings, Matsidikanye Moswane, said more than R350 million of the funding that was provided by the developmental credit provider, Transflow, has already been spent.

“The investment is being used to enable financial inclusion by extending developmental credit to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that may otherwise not have access to credit from traditional financiers,” Moswane said.

“By providing debt funding through Transflow, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is empowering under-serviced and emerging SMEs to build their businesses, which in turn creates further direct and indirect employment opportunities. To date this has helped create 1 620 direct jobs and 2 700 indirect jobs,” he said.

Moswane said the SA Taxi, whose headquarters are based in Midrand, Gauteng, but has a national customer base, finances entrepreneurs who operate minibus taxis that may not otherwise have access to credit from traditional banks, contributing to job creation, and enabling and improving the safety of public transport in South Africa.

“SA Taxi is an independently owned commercial business. It is the first financial service provider to focus solely on the taxi industry. We make a vital contribution to a market sector that has a stimulating effect on the national economy at many different levels.

“Each taxi creates 1.8 new jobs related to the industry. We focus exclusively on building entrepreneurs through the medium of the taxi industry which comprises an estimated 250 000 taxis that are on the roads in South Africa,” Moswane said.

He said SA Taxi has to source the money it lends to its clients from foreign and domestic direct investment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday preside over the launch of the Border Management Authority (BMA) in Musina, Limpopo.

The launch of the BMA follows its formal establishment and assumption of its status as a schedule 3 (A) public entity on 1 April 2023.

The establishment of the BMA means that South Africa now has an integrated border management platform, with a single command and control with which to support the attainment of secure borders, safe travel and trade.

As part of the launch, President Ramaphosa will receive President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe to hold official talks and undertake a guided tour of the Beitbridge border, supported by members of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) on the BMA.

The President will then proceed to officiate the launch of the BMA at the Musina Show Grounds and also handover a Sword to the Commissioner of the BMA to delegate the powers to lead the third law enforcement authority in the Republic.

The BMA has, since its inception, recorded successes, amongst them intercepting stolen vehicles.

In June 2013, Cabinet made the decision to establish a Border Management Agency under the guidance of the DHA.

The decision was taken in recognition of the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (NICOC) 2012 Feasibility Study, which had highlighted weaknesses in border management.

The authority will be responsible for the execution of frontline border law enforcement functions related to, inter alia, port health, immigration control, access control, biosecurity, food safety and phyto-sanitary control, land border infrastructure development and maintenance, and border information and risk management.

It is intended that the BMA will adapt and respond effectively to the challenges, threats and opportunities that exist in the border environment whilst safe-guarding South Africa’s borders and meeting the country’s national, regional and global developmental responsibilities and human rights imperatives.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has welcomed the imprisonment sentence imposed on a provincial traffic officer in Limpopo in connection with bribery of an undercover agent.

The Mokopane Magistrate court on Monday, 2 October 2023, found the traffic officer guilty on charges relating to accepting a bribe of R200 from an undercover anti-corruption agent from RTMC.

The court sentenced Vincent Madiga (53) to three year’s direct imprisonment without the option of a fine.

“The arrest took place during a joint operation, named Operation Siyabangena, by the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit of the RTMC and the Hawks in 2018. The RTMC believes that the conviction of this officer will send a message to others that are still hell bent on committing such crimes, that crime does not pay.

“The officer now no longer qualifies to work as a traffic officer because of his criminal record and this means that we have succeeded in removing a bad element from the ranks of our traffic officers,” the RTMC said on Tuesday.

A total of 13 traffic officers were arrested as part of Operation “Siyabangena” and their cases are continuing in different courts in the province. Some have already been imprisoned for their offence.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, has issued her appeal decisions related to the Hake Deep-Sea Trawl Sector, in terms of the Fishing Rights Allocation Process 2020/2021 (FRAP 2021).

In a statement on Wednesday, the Minister explained that at the forefront of her consideration of the Hake Deep-Sea Trawl appeals was the need to transform the commercial sector, while maintaining the stability of the sector.

“In so doing, I was required to balance the need to admit new entrants into the sector with the need to achieve an equitable redistribution of the Total Allowable Catch. I was also mindful of the need to promote medium to smaller entities,” Creecy said.

The General Published Reasons for the Appeal Decisions in the Hake Deep-Sea Trawl Sector: 2021/2022 will be published on the department’s website.

Appellants will also be provided with the outcome of their individual appeal decisions in due course.

Rights holders are to access the FRAP Online Portal for their grant of right letters, which also will be uploaded shortly.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has revised the timelines for the processing, administration and finalisation of the remaining appeals relating to the FRAP 2021/2022 process, such that the Department will endeavour to finalise the Hake Longline Appeals (280 appeals) by 27 October, the Sardine Appeals (169 appeals) by 25 November 2023 and the Anchovy Appeals (230 appeals) by 30 November 2023.

“The deferral of the timelines for finalisation of the remaining sectors is necessary to ensure that I arrive at the correct decision on all appeals. The deferral will not prejudice any of the appellants and right holders in the remaining sectors, because I will have finalised and issued my appeal decisions in these sectors prior to the commencement of the next fishing seasons in January 2024,” Creecy said.

The link to access the appeals decision can be found on: https://www.dffe.gov.za/sites/default/files/legislations/appeals/1oct2023gpr_hakedeepseetrawl.pdf.